Some Company For Tonight
by Miss Lizzifer
Summary: A sleep deprived Sarah wanders the halls of Gregory House in hope of being rid of her dreadful insomnia, and finds that she was just in need of someone to keep her company.


_So, I first wrote this back when I had literally JUST finished watching Gregory Horror Show for the first time, which was sometime early last year! I had posted this on tumblr originally but decided to post it here; I've tweaked it in places, so the original draft will be different than this one for those who saw the original fic! _

_Anyway, have some good old fashioned Gunman x Guest Girl fluff!_

* * *

The dimly lit halls of Gregory House were eerily silent at this time of night- most of the residents were tucked away in their respective beds, and with no one up and about, you might think it would be peaceful.

But the lack of noise was actually rather nerve-wracking, especially for the newest resident of the hotel.

Sarah had been wide awake for hours, sat upright in her bunk, staring at the door as if worried that one of these rather strange fellow guests would break down the door, coming in to scare her silly, like had happened so frequently in the past. She had her pillow held tightly to her chest, serving some sort of comfort in this lonely atmosphere.

Paranoia had rooted into the back of her mind and she couldn't shake it off. It had to be said, the residents in this place were all sorts of strange and, frankly, frightening. She wouldn't get any sleep at this rate. Some nights, Sarah could get over it- the young girl had been here long enough that she felt that she should be braver and get used to the life and rommates she was now stuck with. But sometimes, insomnia was the after effect of staying up too long, deep in thought about her potential fate.

In any case, she had felt that being cooped up in her room wasn't doing her any good- maybe she could head to the kitchen to get a glass of water? The trip there and back might make her a little more sleepy. Hopefully she wouldn't run into Hell's Chef on the way ...

So, out of her room she had snuck, careful to tiptoe along the old wooden floor, cringing whenever a floorboard creaked under her feet, and eyeing around, shakily. Gregory himself had the habit of appearing out of nowhere, some nights. But maybe tonight she'd be lucky and he wouldn't be awake and creeping around the place.

The sudden creaking sound of the old building settling in what had been complete silence caused young girl to flinch and nearly let out a shriek. She stopped herself, though, being very careful to be as quiet as she could, shuddering at the idea of what one of these crazy folks might do to her if she accidentally woke them up. Especially if that someone was Hell's Chef or Catherine...!

"Come on, Sarah." She whispered to herself, trying for some self-encouragement. She wrapped both arms around herself, rubbing them, goose pimples coating them, from a mix of the slight chill in the air and the eerie darkness ahead. "There's nothing there... no one's awake right now..."

Suddenly, the door she was just passing flung open, and a short, green man with a moustache leapt out in front of her.

"Who goes there?!" Cactus Gunman called out, the barrel of his gun staring Sarah in the face.

Attempting not to shriek in surprise, the young girl covered her mouth and tried to calmly let the man know that she wasn't an enemy. "Shhh! G-Gunman, it's me…!"

"Sarah?" The gun was lowered at once, and Sarah could see that the hatless gunman looked extremely apologetic. "Oh, dear senorita! Please forgive me! Had I known it was you, I would not have been so hasty…" His voice was lower, tone softer, the one that he only seemed to use on her, with that very affectonate edge to it.

"It's alright…" She whispered back. No reason to be all that upset- even if the trigger had been pulled, knowing Gunman as well as she did, he would have probably missed and hit some other poor soul- there was no one else around, yes, but knowing HIS aim, it wasn't too strange an outcome to consider. "I'm sorry for waking you…"

Cactus Gunman stretched and let out a yawn. "No worries, dear Sarah, I was already up… Besides, it is a pleasant surprise to see you… What are you doing up so late, though? A young girl might get into trouble if she wanders around alone at night…!"

She had to silently agree with that. "I just… I couldn't sleep. I thought going for a walk might clear my head a bit… Can we go into your room to talk? I don't wanna risk waking anybody else…"

The gunman looked pleased at her request, sidestepping and motioning to his open door. Sarah made her way in and slowly approached Gunman's bed, sitting on the end of it and fiddling with strands of her hair.

Gunman shut the door, quietly as he could, before making his way over and seating himself next to her. Deeming it safe to talk at normal volume now, Gunman said, "So, can't sleep, ah? I suppose we are in the same boat, senorita. This place gives me the creeps sometimes, you know?"

She raised an eyebrow at him, curiously, but then, a thought hit her. From what she knew about Gunman, he'd lived life on the run for a majority of his days, and realized that his outburst earlier when he'd heard Sarah passing by was an indication that HE was suffering a similar bout of paranoia.

They truly were in the same boat, weren't they? She suddenly felt a lot calmer in this man's presence- they were in relatable circumstances, and Gunman had nearly always been the nicest to her (even if it probably was due to wanting to get in her pants... ).

She nodded. "I guess… I get kinda anxious sometimes... And I don't really know anybody that well… so when I feel like this, it's hard to know who to talk to…"

The sad expression on her face sent a rush of sympathy through the marksman. "My poor Sarah! You should have come by a lot sooner…!" He held up a hand, as if she'd gone to say something, when she hadn't. "I know, I know what you are thinking, senorita… a super macho hombre like me might not look it, but, trust when, Cactus Gunman says, he might be all man, but he has a sensitive side, yes!" He gently patted her thigh. "If you are needing someone to talk to, or the wiping away of the maiden tears, I will be here."

And when she had just started to think he wasn't such a bad guy… Sarah rolled her eyes at his words, feeling a little patronized. "No, that's… fine. Thanks… I was just feeling somewhat… lonesome, I guess."

"Lonesome, ah?~ Well, I know how to fix this…"

There was a flirtatious tone in his voice now that made Sarah realize how this must look- a young girl coming into the room of a man at this hour? At least, to someone like Cactus Gunman, there were all SORTS of implications that could be taken from this. Sarah flicked him between the eyes (she'd learnt better from past experiences than to slap his prickled cheek) and huffed, debating whether she should just march on out back to her room if he'd continue being like this. "Not lonesome in the way YOU think I mean!"

He let out a nervous chuckle, rubbing the place she had hit with a wince. "I-it was just a joke! Hmm…" He pondered. "But… truly, I do want to make sure you are okay, Sarah. You… are free to stay here with me tonight, if you want to…" He held up his hands slightly defensively when Sarah gave him a suspicious look. "I will not try any of the funny business, I swear!"

Sarah pondered for a few moments. "… Well… alright. I'll stay… just for a little while though… Not all night…" She leant forward and muttered. "People will talk if I do…"

Cactus Gunman waggled his eyebrows in a way that Sarah knew without him saying he was okay with letting them. To that, she replied with a glare, and pointed at him. "If you try even ONE little thing… I'm outta here."

"You have my word. Not one thing." His tone was serious, placing a hand over his heart and bowing his head, solemnly, to add to the effect. He moved to clamber under the covers, staying in a sitting position and patting the space next to him.

Sarah blushed against her will- if he didn't have those lidded bedroom eyes it wouldn't have looked so wrong. She joined him, but didn't climb under the covers, instead sitting on top of them and pressing her back against the headboard.

"You will not get cold like this?"

She shook her head. "No, I'm… fine."

"Well, alright." Cactus Gunman shrugged and sank down a bit, trying to get comfortable.

Sarah, meanwhile, hugged her knees and rested her chin upon them, gazing at the door to the other's room. She let out a gentle sigh.

Gunman took this moment to watch Sarah for a little while out of the corner of his eye. He'd been handed a miracle- the girl he'd been admiring for so long was now in his room with him, and it was taking so much of his self-control not to "try anything". But he didn't want to put her off, or ruin this chance he'd been given to spend some time alone with her…

Slowly, he tilted his head until he was looking right at her, admiring Sarah's appearance. It was one of the rare occasions he'd seen the girl with her hair down, and the man had to admit, the look suited her very well. He let out a sigh of his own, one of longing, which caught her attention.

Gunman's eyes widened and he quickly looked away, his face redening. "S-something the matter?"

"…No, I'm okay… are _you_ okay?"

Gunman nodded, curtly, clearing his throat. Dwelling on stuff like this too much wasn't helping him keep a clear head, so he tried to focus on getting some sleep. But her presence was preventing that. Gunman was just too eager to stay up with her, spend more time with her, since she did say that she wouldn't be staying the entire night, after all. "Are you still having trouble sleeping, Sarah?"

She nodded. "A little… but… I guess I feel a little more at ease with somebody here…"

A flicker of pride made Gunman smirk underneath that black moustache. "I will protect you from anything that might come, senorita…!" He sat back up again, far too energetic to even think about resting. What if someone DID come and try something? Sarah couldn't be put into any danger on his watch.

"That's nice of you…" She mumbled. Sarah moved so her legs were stretched in front of her now, slumping slightly. A small yawn also escaped, which made Gunman have to cover his mouth and look away when she rubbed at her eyes.

She was so cute! Was he allowed to point that out? Would she get embarrassed? The image was even MORE cute! She seemed the type that would deny it, didn't she? Surely just a little bit of subtle flirting wouldn't hurt?

He turned to her, mouth open, but the image before him made him stop in his tracks. She was curled up on her side, facing him, eyes closed.

Was she asleep already?

"Sarah?"

The girl gave a non-committal hum in response.

Gunman slowly reached and placed a hand on her shoulder. "_Senorita,_ I think you are starting to get sleepy…"

"No, I'm not…" Sarah softly argued, lying down and curling up a bit. "Just wanna…rest my eyes for a little bit…"

Gunman felt a rush of fondness, and drew back his hand. The girl needed her rest, and the marksman didn't really think to care at the moment if she woke up and got mad at him letting her stay for the whole night.

Slowly, he reached and brushed some of that red hair out of her sleeping face, and smiled. "_Buenas noches_, Sarah…"

* * *

"Gunman!" There was a sound, like rapping at a door, and the familiar voice of the owner of the hotel could be heard from the other side of it, rousing Sarah from her sleepy state. "You haven't seen our newest guest anywhere, have you?"

There was a scuffling sound of feet against the floor, and the door being opened. "Shh! Quieten your voice, senor!"

"Why should I? Oh, never mind… I'm looking for Sarah, you see, she's not in her room. Ooh, she better not have tried to run away ..."

The girl's eyes flew open. Oh. Now she realized what must have happened.

"You sure you checked all over? Aha… perhaps she is trying to hide from you? You are not exactly a sight one wants to see when they first wake up-!"

"Why! I never! How very rude of y-...! Wait a second, who's that on your bed?"

"Ahh! Wait! Senor!"

Sarah slowly sat up, face to face with the cock-eyed stare of Gregory. "My dear! What are you doing in here, of all places? Unless…" The rat tilted his head, looking from one to the other, and gave that menacing chuckle of his. "Gracious me, I didn't realize you two were already THAT close…~"

"W-we're not! I…" Sarah felt herself turning beet red, realizing how this must have looked. The shifty revolutionary at the door was fully dressed, obviously having gotten up before her, letting her sleep. Sarah would have been flattered if she wasn't so humiliated. "I just-!"

"Brother?!" Cactus Girl leaned in, her eyes wide as dinner plates, shouting loudly enough for all the residents in the building to hear her. "Brother, you have a lady in your bed?!"

"Seester! No, it isn't like that-! Sarah! Wait!"

Sarah felt it best to make her way to her room as quickly as possible, avoiding eye contact with everyone as she pushed past.

"You were able to get a girl to sleep with you without me even having to threaten her into dating you first! I'm proud of you!"

The young girl knew as she slowly slid down her door, face burning, that gossip would spread around the place quickly… and she wondered, once he'd gotten over the initial embarrassment, just how much Gunman would do to fuel the fire…

It seemed very like him, after all… It was sad, really, because she was starting to think maybe that he wasn't as much of a bad guy as he sometimes came off as.

Maybe she was being a little too harsh. Cactus Gunman wouldn't necessarily do that, right? She slowly opened her door. Maybe if she explained the situation… "Hey… wait, guys…?"

"What?~" Gunman had his back to her door, posing against the wall, and chuckling, speaking to his sister, the landlord and a few other people who'd rushed to see what all the fuss was about. "You all seem so surprised! It was only a matter of time, no? My Sarah cannot resist my charms for so long! So she came to my room last night, and—!"

She slammed the door shut, causing the marksman to let out a squeak of surprise and turn to where she'd just left. Whoops.

"Hm. Seems she's not having much trouble with that right now…" Gregory noted, smirking as the Cactus siblings stared at one another. "You should know better than to incur the wrath of a young lady, Gunman…!"


End file.
